The scheme will see three towers rise to 45, 22 and 11 storeys in height and accommodate a new 250-bed five-star hotel, 600 apartments as well as conference, retail and public space.

The site bordering Deansgate and Blackfriars Street has long been earmarked for redevelopment with the designs tailored to “open up the river and views to the Cathedral”.

Proposals also include improved pedestrian connections across the site, linking it with Greengate, the area around the Cathedral, and the Irwell.

Overall, public realm will take up around 86,000 sq ft, or 58% of the total site. This includes a central courtyard which will be the focal point for the development’s restaurants and bars at ground floor level, with views over the Irwell.

Manchester City Council’s executive last week was asked to endorse a strategic regeneration framework for the site ahead of a public consultation.

The council said there were “significant constraints to demolishing and redeveloping the site, given its structural layout”.

The report to the executive added: “This has posed difficulties for previous owners in both masterplanning and funding terms, and has been one of the principal reasons that development has taken such a long time to be brought forward.”

The council currently owns the freehold of the site, which is on a 125-year lease currently held by Urban & Civic, and added it would look to put “a new fundable development lease” with the developer in place.

The design and layout of this proposed development looks first-class. Just as importantly, the noticeable absence of any external white concrete will protect the exterior from the damp and rainy Manchester weather. Unfortunately, this area in particular is blighted by dirty looking white concrete buildings like the aforementioned Premier Inn Tower, Dandara’s cool designed but filthy looking white concrete Spectrum flats on Blackfriars Street (near to Chapel Street), decaying & rotting railway bridges and walkway underpasses, filthy stained stonewalls and weeds & graffiti everywhere. Lastly, the 80 metre tall Premier Inn Tower, opposite the gorgeous new City Suites, is actually ok compared to most 1960’s Brutalist architectural behemoths but it badly needs painting, re glazed & clad, or if these options are not feasible, then demolished.